Sharing eHealth Intellectual Property for Development
To provide free access to selected eHealth products and services, as appropriate, to developing country institutions.
Vision
Health systems are strengthened and health is improved in low and middle income countries by providing access to appropriate products and services protected by eHealth Intellectual Property Rights, through WHO.
Rationale
Developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) have ushered in an era of profound opportunity and potential for world-wide advancement in public health and clinical care. As a result, eHealth today constitutes a third major industrial pillar on which the health sector is built. eHealth is also one of five strategic directions of WHO's knowledge management strategy. WHO has carried out a number of key actions at policy level, aimed at bringing the power of ICT to bear positively on health challenges at national, regional and global levels. These include:
- Development of an Organization-wide eHealth strategy;
- Passing of a resolution on eHealth by the World Health Assembly (the highest organ of WHO) in May 2005;
- Endorsement of a set or priority action areas by WHO Executive Board in January 2006.
Objectives
The objective of this initiative is to strengthen health systems and improve health in countries through the adaptation and deployment of the donated/shared IP for eHealth products and services. The project will:
- Adapt eHealth resources to the local context in each country/region
- Build capacity in countries to use technology resources;
- Deploy resources in countries around the world;
- Strengthen WHO capacity to deliver the program.
Partners
The vision will be achieved through a partnership with organizations allowing access to their eHealth intellectual property. The following organizations have already engaged in this initiative:
- Connecting for Health and the National Health IT programme of the National Health Service (UK)
- Map of Medicine (Informa)
Discussion is under way with other partners from government, industry and academia.
Institutions interested in participating in this initiative should contact the focal points below.
Products
Currently, SHIPD provides free access to the Map of Medicine in Africa:
Contacts
Fátima Sanz de León - Technical Officer eHealth Unit (sanzf@who.int)
- Map of Medicine -an IT tool for quick access, at the point of care, to the most appropriate clinical information on evidence-based best practices for conditions in all the major areas of medicine